OK, maybe Caltrans didn’t earn its $150-million digs based on performance, but that doesn’t change the fact that this floating steel-mesh-and-glass-skinned behemoth is worthy of praise. Completed in 2004, the building won its designer – LA-based architect Thom Mayne – the prestigious Pritzker Architecture Prize a year later. The hulking structure is true to Mayne's futuristic style, with dramatic geometric forms, space-grey hues and perforated metal screens. Its Main St steps have become a vortex for Downtown’s skate punks.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby attractions

1. City Hall

0.17 MILES

Until 1966 no LA building stood taller than the 1928 City Hall, which appeared in the Superman TV series and 1953 sci-fi thriller War of the Worlds. On…

2. Japanese Village Plaza

0.26 MILES

The unusual-looking tower is a yagura, a traditional fire-lookout tower typically found in rural Japan. It’s the gateway to this kitschy outdoor mall,…

3. Bradbury Building

0.27 MILES

Debuting in 1893, the Bradbury is one of the city's undisputed architectural jewels. Behind its robust Romanesque facade lies a whimsical galleried atrium…

4. MOCA Geffen

0.28 MILES

MOCA showcases its big names and blockbuster exhibits at its main building on Grand Ave, freeing its original site in Little Tokyo to focus on more…

5. Million Dollar Theatre

0.28 MILES

The first theater built by Sid Grauman of Chinese Theatre and Egyptian Theatre fame. While the top floors were designed by Albert Carey Martin Sr (co…

6. Japanese American National Museum

0.3 MILES

A great first stop in Little Tokyo, this is the country’s first museum dedicated to the Japanese immigrant experience. The 2nd floor is home to the…

7. Robert Reynolds Gallery

0.34 MILES

A breathtaking loft space owned and operated by the artist himself. Reynolds specializes in mixed-media canvasses and sculpture, and uses anything and…

8. Grand Park

0.38 MILES

Everything from free lunchtime yoga to music concerts and long days of lounging and people-watching takes place at this preened Downtown park, cascading…